Because Nothing Should Weigh a Child Down

Success Stories

What About Poverty?

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poverty

Obesity isn’t just about drinking too many Big Gulps. It’s also about poverty. Obesity rates are high everywhere, but in poor neighborhoods they’re even higher. In Brownsville, two out of every three children are obese or overweight, three times the national average. Hold that thought and think about Michael Bloomberg’s failed attempt to ban drinks like the Big Gulp. Perhaps if he had looked at obesity as a public health issue and not a problem of bad behavior, he would have won more support, according to an article in The New York Times. Continue reading →

Knowing When to Put a 7-year-old on a Diet

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Too young to diet

Dara-Lyyn Weiss’s daughter Bea was seven when a doctor told her the child was obese. In a year, Bea gained 23 pounds and her blood pressure had gone up. For Weiss, the news was a health crisis and she put her daughter on a calorie restricted diet and immediately evoked the wrath of parents who saw her actions as extreme and unnecessary. Continue reading →

How Often Do You See This Picture on TV?

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Imagine you were watching a news segment on the obesity epidemic in America and instead of a video of an overweight woman eating pizza you saw the image pictured above? How would it change your perception about obesity? How do you think it might affect how other people think about the behaviors of overweight people? A new study finds that the images we see every day of overweight people do have an impact on our perceptions. And they are often not positive images at all. Continue reading →

Salt, Sugar, Fat and All That

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Take a trip down the aisles of your local grocery store and you’re apt to find an endless supply of pre-packaged food designed to keep you eating. Investigative reporter Michael Moss’s new book Salt, Sugar, Fat takes a hard look at the junk food industry and makes some startling revelations that has been getting serious attention in the press. Continue reading →

Scrumptious Smoothies

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We’re always on the lookout for yummy snacks. One of our all-time favorites: the smoothie. A smoothie makes a delicious and healthy snack, if it is prepared with low-fat ingredients.

We found a whole bunch of delicious smoothie recipes. Try a few out and tell us what you’re favorite is. The apple/spinach smoothie makes for a perfect wintertime treat. Continue reading →

The Junk Food Addiction

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sugar article

The New York Times magazine has an incredible article in this week’s issue about the addictive powers of junk food. It draws a frightening comparison between junk food and cigarettes. Like cigarettes, these foods are designed to be irresistible. The article also examines the junk food industry’s role in the obesity epidemic, and the lengths it will go to sell its product: Continue reading →